My Year in Review / Goals for 2016

It is once again that time of the year where we review what we did, assess our 2015 goals and chant the new goals for 2016.  Why do we chant them?  It is an annual mantra to what we want others to hear, and then a few weeks into the New Year, when no one is listening any more, we stop the chant and stop pursuing the goals.  The chants, which we treat as affirmations are then put away until the next year.  Yep, I again find myself in that category – even after I wrote an update (http://goo.gl/MxFk8k)!  Why do we fail?  I picked achievable goals for my weight and exercise.  Was I consistent and persistent in obtaining them – No!  With my weight, though eating healthier, the only thing that I watched was the food coming to my mouth.  To help with my exercise, I downloaded a free app that can have strength, cardio, stretching or yoga broken down into 5-minute routines – easy; however, I did not put aside a consistent time to do this and so the few times a month I exercised, it was meaningless.

Tim Ferriss, in his book the “4-Hour Body”, makes the point that we do not need to exercise for hours a day, but minimal, correct exercise, done consistently, can have a big impact.  In addition, he promotes making the outcome that you are looking for measurable.  I know he is not the only to say that.  Thought leaders, business / planning writers and success advocates, for what seems like forever, have promoted measuring outcomes.  While we all read this, hear this and know this, for some reason in our private lives we forget this.  I am not talking about the people (we all know them) that have been following healthy choices since they were young; I am talking about the rest of us.  Consciously making healthy choices on a daily basis can bring about a shift in our mindset, our lifestyles, and hopefully, the lives we aspire to lead.

So, how was my year?  On the goals set this time last year, I failed.  Does that mean the entire year sucked?  No.  On the positive side, we had Bec graduating high school and starting college, I went skydiving with Gab, we had a great family trip to Ireland, saw friends / friends’ children get married, and I had a chance to speak at my uncle’s posthumous induction into the Brandeis Athletic Hall of fame (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igJULx6MdkE the first 9 minutes).

My goals for 2016 are once again to lose weight and exercise.  What will I do differently?  Last year, I had a target weight, but no overall outcome to shoot for.  I have always wanted to have a six-pack, not to drink, but an abdomen to show off.  That means that the image that I have in my mind is not the same as the one pictured.  Weight (eating) and physical shape (exercise) now have a desired goal.  I will need to measure weight, body fat and revise my eating habits to achieve my desired outcome.  Yes, it means putting a program together for me to follow.  As this has real measurability, if you will allow me to have you as an accountability partner, I plan to provide updates during the year.

What are you goals for the upcoming year?  How will you measure their success?